


A Knight

by mousaerato



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Angst, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Near Future, Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 08:50:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20871491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mousaerato/pseuds/mousaerato
Summary: Akechi Goro is on a mission to make amends and find a cause worth devoting himself to. Okumura Haru holds the power for both.





	A Knight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MintyCoolness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintyCoolness/gifts).

> This will have smut soon. I'll add the tags as I add the chapters.

“Your room is ready and secured.”

Okumura Haru stood outside the doorway of her bedroom, freshly-washed curly hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing a sumptuous lavender robe cinched firmly at her waist. A matching silk sleep mask rested on the crown of her head, and perfectly light purple slippers covered her feet. This part of the night always felt a little _awkward, _but deep down, the 21-year-old heiress knew it was necessary.

When Okumura Kunikazu died, his company faltered and crumbled, succumbing to the murmurs of abuse allegations that grew into a roar with his passing. As his sole heiress, Haru was left to pick up the pieces and cope with his complicated legacy. It took time, study, and even a little cunning subterfuge, but she succeeded: she negotiated the rights to the name “Big Bang Burger” in Japan and America, successfully washing the company she had inherited of its shame while generating some revenue, took business and culinary classes with ardent determination, consulted with the company’s research and development division, and started her own coffee and food franchise.

Cosmic Coffee and Crepes prided itself on being small, intimate, organic, and local – and to the shock of her jaded employees, it was a _resounding success. _The small scale, rustic lighting, and galaxy-themed colors attracted students and young couples, while the dedication to quality food and coffee earned the respect of even the most hardened of critics. In two years, Cosmic Coffee and Crepes had expanded to three locations in Tokyo – and with it, the young, fashionable, and _single _Okumura Haru became an entrepreneurial icon. She knew her father would be proud.

But with money, success, and exposure came myriad problems. Haru had been stalked by strange men, courted by greedy social climbers interested in her wealth and nothing else, even threatened with _physical harm _by those she was certain had ties to other businesses – or lingering issues with her father. Even within the security of the Okumura Estate, Haru had every reason to be exceptionally cautious. A reliable, savvy bodyguard and intelligent assistant she knew could get the job done was a necessity, like it or not.

She walked into the doorway and passed the source of the voice. She stopped, looking at him for a moment as she gestured for him to exit.

“Thank you, Akechi-kun. Goodnight.”

* * *

Akechi Goro walked wordlessly to his room directly across from Haru’s. After over two years, this had become routine: check Okumura’s room for security issues, eliminate any threats to her safety or privacy, inform her that her room was ready, and leave for his own quarters to be on-call for any potential issues in the night. Thankfully, he was _very good _at his work, and as such, he was allowed a steady, normal sleep schedule – something his _previous employer _rarely permitted.

Keeping his door ajar to listen for any disturbances, Akechi began to disrobe, freeing himself of the tie, dress shirt, formal shoes, and slacks he had become accustomed to. One nice thing about Okumura was that she _disliked guns, _so Goro didn’t have to keep one with him constantly if she requested otherwise. Still, he had a weapon in his suite if needed – and always on him for any outings or business trips.

As he settled into his downy bed with crisp red sheets and numerous golden pillows, Goro took a glance at his room. “Room” was, perhaps, a misnomer: it was more of a spacious _suite, _but with a bed closer to the front door for his work. He had a separate space for a study to keep his books, a small private dining area with miniature refrigerator, a flat-screen TV in his sleeping area if he needed it, and at long last, _lots of toys and manga, _though he would never admit in public to wanting them. All in all, he was living a comfortable, _pleasant life._

Closing his eyes, the reformed hitman thought back to the day he proposed the arrangement. He was determined to make amends and reform his life to the best of his ability, and that meant taking responsibility for the pain he had caused. For Futaba, she asked only for details as Sojiro listened: what Shido had instructed him to do, what her mother’s palace looked like, if he understood what shooting someone’s shadow would do in the real world, what he did the day he found out Wakaba had died, if he knew anything about the fake note, and if he’s ever thought about her. There were tears – Futaba’s and his own – but Futaba managed, albeit slowly, to forgive him. She understood: he was only 15, he hadn’t been told the effects of killing a shadow, and he had no idea she would actually die; that he was sick to his stomach, vomiting with anxiety and guilt, unable to sleep for days; that he had to force those feelings down for his own survival; that he didn’t mean to become a murderer, but after that, he thought he had no choice but to keep going.

Ren was, ironically, the easiest to make amends with. The boy he’d plotted to murder in cold blood asked for nothing: no apologies, no explanations, and no grand gestures. Goro wanted to resent him for it, until Ren spoke: “It’s not about forgiving you. I just understand it was part of the game.” They truly were two sides of the same coin after all. Goro opted to give him time to himself – and sure enough, after a few months, he was welcomed back to LeBlanc.

Though she hadn’t been directly targeted or harmed, Niijima Sae was also someone the young man had to talk to. It was tough, with Sae defaulting to her relentless prosecutorial style, demanding unflinching accuracy in his responses and details, but they made it through. He explained that it was his idea to target her, that he had no intention of hurting her or attacking her, and that it was all part of a bigger plan to catch Joker and bring him to justice. Sae, of course, knew all that from Ren’s interrogation, but she never knew exactly _why._

When Akechi Goro, the young man she’d worked with for months confessed his connections, Sae dropped her cup of tea, spilling it on the table they were seated at. She shivered, eyes closed with rage and pity, dumbfounded and shocked. What kind of awful man would exploit a _child_ like that? And how could she not notice that not one, but two young people close to her, were suffering in silence? Her stomach turned with disgust as the wheels turned in her mind: Akechi Goro was a perpetrator, but also a victim, even if he didn’t like the word.

She thanked him for his candor, and told him that if he ever needed her, she would be there. “I think I need to make some amends, too,” she confessed.

Okumura Haru was the final person on his list. He remembered that she had no intentions of forgiving him for _knowingly and deliberately murdering her father, _but he still had to try. To his great shock and good fortune, she agreed to meet him privately at her home. The conversation, he remembered, was tense.

“Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today,” he ingratiated, eyes struggling to stay on her face.

“Stop with the formalities,” Haru icily snapped back, arms folded over her chest in spite of herself. Her voice softened, exasperated. “Please.”

“I know…there is nothing I can ever do to fix what I did. ‘Fix’ isn’t the right word—”

“I understand you, Akechi-kun,” Haru said as she cut his watery attempt at a speech off. “I really do. But I don’t have it in my heart to forgive you.”

“I’m not asking you to.” His voice was stronger now, confident in the face of her cold fury.

“What _are _you asking?”

“I want a chance to make amends, somehow.”

Haru laughed through a _sob. _“How, exactly?!”

“I promise nothing bad will happen to you for the rest of your life.”

His seriousness caught Haru off guard. She stared at him, curious, and did not speak.

“I know all the political players and criminal organizations in Japan,” he continued. “I know how to handle a gun. I know there are people who would take advantage of you, or maybe even hurt you. I can make sure that won’t happen.”

The air was tense; the silence stretched for eons. Bewildered, Haru stuttered, “What – how – how can I trust you to do something like tha—”

“I don’t have anything left.”

And there it was, that ugly, painful truth. When Akechi Goro murdered Okumura Kunikazu, he didn’t destroy one life, but three: Okumura Kunikazu, Okumura Haru, and his own. By becoming a bona fide murderer, Akechi Goro had chosen to sever himself from society; by betraying Shido for his own redemption, he destroyed any connections to people who would overlook his transgressions. He was worse than a dead man – he was a _zombie, _unable to die and unable to truly live.

“I will never put you in harm’s way,” he continued. “I’ll do research and background checks on anyone who wants to do business with you or work for you. I’ll be loyal to you alone.”

As Goro spoke, Haru wiped at her cheeks, struggling not to make noise as the tears fell. His sincerity was a knife to the heart, twisting in her chest and uprooting old, painful memories.

“I need to be alone. Get out.”

“Haru—”

“_Get. Out!”_

“I’m sorry, I—”

“Get _out,” _she seethed, “or I’ll _strangle you myself—”_

He recognized that tone of voice and _ran for his life. _Okumura Haru was not a woman to be crossed – and that was _without _the axe.

Two days later, he received a text: “You start tomorrow. Get here at 8 AM. Don’t be late.”

She explained that as a businesswoman, she had to be objective and rational – and that objectively, Akechi Goro _did _have knowledge, skills, and abilities that made him uniquely qualified to be her right-hand man. His duties were simple: ensure her physical safety in meetings, outings, and at home; provide background checks and research on all business partners and suitors; general scheduling and clerical work with regards to maintaining the estate; general concierge; and serve as first point of contact for any media inquiries. It would be a 24/7 job, but Haru was not unreasonable: he’d be given a humble stipend, he would have his own living arrangements on the estate with access to a gym, and he would be given access to high quality and confidential _mental health professionals. _She emphasized the last one in her explanations, making it clear that their use was _not _optional. Of course, he agreed.

They had shook hands, and that was that.

As he fell asleep, Akechi Goro marveled at how _lucky _he truly was. These last two years had been a chance at a new life beyond anything he could imagine.


End file.
